vice president joe biden held talks in beijing to lower regional friction. it followed a stopover in japan where he said the u.s. would not recognize the extension of the military airspace of china to include islands famed by japan -- claimed by japan. the islands sit in an area of the east china sea rich in oil and gas. forchinese president met five hours with joe biden in talks described as tense. afterwards he said beijing sees itself as an equal partner with washington. >> the world is not tranquil. permanent members of the un security council, we bear an extraordinary responsibility to ensure world peace and stability. >> joe biden urged caution to avoid the risk of an escalation of a dispute over the islands but regional tensions remain. on wednesday, a senior commander of the lebanese hezbollah militia was shot dead by gunmen outside of his home in southern beirut. his death comes amid increasing withon in lebanon sectarian violence spilling over from the civil war in syria. >> on wednesday, the lower chamber of parliament and france approved legislat